Arjun Rampal on his latest film Fox

Arjun Rampal is known for his looks and that velvety deep voice but more importantly for his acting prowess. He blew critics and audiences away in Om Shanti Om, The Last Lear and Rock On!! to name just a few. In theaters today is his latest film Fox. Directed by Deepak Tijori, the movie is a thriller with lots of suspense thrown in to take the audience on a roller coaster ride. Arjun said yes to the film as soon as he read the script and says it is not a “typical masala flick”. In an interview with Joginder Tuteja he talked all about Fox and here are some highlights from that interview.

Arjun spoke about being an actor and revealed, “First and foremost, I have now realized the value of being an actor in a given setup. After having accepted a certain responsibility of playing a particular part in a film, I have to give my all to it. It’s not about a film to be revolving just around you. One has to understand that if the character that I play doesn’t work for the film, then, it may impact the standing of the entire project. I look at how this character is contributing rather than wondering if the film is focused on me. Thankfully, I have worked in some great setups during last few years that helped me grow as a professional and a human being.”

One of those projects was Om Shanti Om, “I remember that I was so scared about doing Om Shanti Om. This is when Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan put the entire detailing of the character across me and the confidence they had in me. They made me understand the value of doing that part and told me that the victory would be mine if I am successfully able to pull it through convincingly. After all, my character had to grow from someone who was 30 year old to a 60 year old man. I am glad that I listened to them because; doing my part well in the film meant that a lot of people start looking at you as an actor.”

He was also making The Last Lear at the same time and for both roles he received critical acclaim, “And to think of it, I was shooting for both The Last Lear and Om Shanti Om simultaneously. Rituparno Ghosh has an entirely different approach of filmmaking and the way an actor should approach a character. I was enriched with this experience as I learnt a lot on how to justify a character. Now I know good enough stuff to contribute a lot to the whole film rather than just looking at my character, regardless of it being a small or a big part of a film.”

Talking about Fox, Arjun said a little but would not reveal much about the story, “There is a lot that I want to talk about Fox, but the fact is that, whatever little that I may say could possibly hint upon the suspense angle in the film. I don’t wish to spoil the fun element for audiences who would be watching Fox in theaters. It is really difficult to describe this thriller and you would know what I mean once you will watch the movie.”

In the film Arjun plays an advocate and about his role he said, “My character is someone who doesn’t jump to conclusions; he, instead, looks at the situation, studies it hard and then reacts.”

“I try to bring in as much realism as I can in the character that I play. Thankfully, the situation in Fox is extremely exciting,” he added.

He praised director Deepak Tijori saying that Fox is his best film so far, “I have seen his previous work and I can for sure say that Fox is his best film till date. People will enjoy the film throughout its length and they won’t able to guess the suspense element all the way till the end. It is a roller coaster ride and stays the way a thriller is meant to be. I was sold on doing the movie once I read it script. In fact, our entire team did everything to take the film beyond the script.”

Adding that Fox is not your typical Hindi film, “Fox is not one of those regular masala thrillers. In fact, there are no lip synch songs either for a change (laughs). The film isn’t a typical thriller. It is definitely trying to be intelligent without being intellectual enough to go over someone’s head. It moves fast, and most importantly, boasts of good performances from the entire principal cast.”